Terms of service

1. What GradSwap is

GradSwap is a marketplace where students buy, sell, rent and give away graduation gear — gowns, caps, hoods, gifts and the rest. We provide the platform: listings, messaging, payments and buyer protection. The sale itself is a contract between the buyer and the seller. GradSwap is not a party to it.

2. Your account

• Give accurate details and keep your sign-in credentials to yourself.
• One account per person. You are responsible for what happens on yours.
• To sell, you must verify a university email address. This keeps the marketplace limited to real students and graduates.
• We may suspend or close accounts that break these terms.

3. Listings

• Only list items you own and are allowed to sell.
• Describe items honestly, including condition, and photograph the actual item.
• Active listings are public, including to visitors who are not signed in.
• We may remove listings that break these terms or the law.

4. Fees

Browsing and buying are free. When a sale is paid through GradSwap, the seller pays a fee of 7% of the item price, deducted from the payout. Shipping is charged at the cost the seller set on the listing. There are no other fees.

5. Payments and payouts

Card payments are processed by Stripe. GradSwap never sees or stores your card number. Sellers receive payouts to their Stripe account. We hold the money until 48 hours after the buyer confirms delivery, or automatically after 7 days if the buyer does not confirm and no dispute is open. Offers expire after 48 hours if the seller does not respond.

6. Buyer protection

Buyer protection applies to orders paid through GradSwap. If the item never arrives, or is clearly not what the listing described, report it before the payout is released and we will work out a refund through Stripe.

Cash on pickup is not covered. If you pay in person, inspect the item before handing over money. Pickup sales are entirely between you and the other person.

7. Prohibited items

• Items you do not own or may not legally sell.
• Counterfeit regalia or counterfeit branded goods.
• Official documents — diplomas, transcripts, student ID cards.
• Ceremony tickets where the university forbids resale.
• Weapons, alcohol, and anything else illegal to sell where you live.

8. Behaviour

Keep messages respectful. No harassment, no spam, and no steering payments off the platform — off-platform payments lose buyer protection and are grounds for removal.

9. Liability

Items are sold between users, as described by the seller. For pickups, meet in a public place. GradSwap is liable only where the law says a platform must be, and is not responsible for what happens at in-person meetings.

10. Ending your account

You can delete your account at any time in your dashboard settings. We may suspend accounts that break these terms. Sections that by their nature should survive — liability, disputes, payments already in flight — survive account closure.

11. Changes to these terms

If we make material changes, we will tell you by email or in the app before they take effect. Using GradSwap after that means you accept the new terms.

12. Contact

Questions about these terms, or something to report? Use the report links in the app, or see our privacy policy for how we handle your data.